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שְׁבוּעָה

𐤔𐤁𐤅𐤏𐤄

shᵉbûwʻâh

H7621 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁבע to swear, to solemnly promise, to bind oneself by oath

Definition

An oath or solemn declaration made with an appeal to a deity or to a self-imposed curse, typically invoking a binding commitment or the swearing of truthfulness; encompasses forswearing, pledges, or promises formalized in a ritualized or legal context. The term can also label the act of swearing itself, the stated terms of an oath, or the consequences invoked for falsehood (including self-imprecation or curse).

Semantic Range

oath, sworn declaration, formal promise, act of swearing, imprecation (when oath involves self-curse), legally binding vow; ritual oath (as part of covenant or treaty), judicial oath, oath with conditional curse

Root / Etymology

From the root שָׁבַע (sh-b-ʻ), which means 'to swear (an oath), to bind by seven,' with semantic development rooted in the idea of intensification or completeness (possibly from seven, the number signifying fullness in Semitic cultures), though the etymology connecting 'seven' (שֶבַע) and 'oath' is debated; שְׁבוּעָה is the feminine noun form denoting the thing sworn: an oath or sworn statement.

Historical & Contextual Notes

An oath (שְׁבוּעָה) in biblical literature typically involved a spoken declaration before witnesses or before a deity, marked by solemnity and often accompanied by ritual gestures (e.g., raising the hand, offering a sacrifice, or invoking divine witness). Distinct from a 'curse' (אָלָה), though a שְׁבוּעָה may include self-imprecation if violated. The concept was integral to legal, governmental, personal, and cultic transactions: establishing treaties, settling disputes, or confirming promises (e.g., oaths of office; Abraham's oaths; covenantal promises). The gravity of a שְׁבוּעָה lies in its inviolability and binding nature; violating it entailed legal and divine consequences. Usage broadens in the exilic/post-exilic period to include more formal judicial and cultic processes and develops technical legal nuance. Later English translations habitually render שְׁבוּעָה as 'oath' or 'sworn,' but this sometimes narrowly abstracts the fuller connotations—the ritual, legal, and ethical seriousness it carried in ancient Israelite society. Unlike simple promises (דָּבָר, נֶדֶר), a שְׁבוּעָה implies self-binding with severe obligations and recourse for breach. In later rabbinic literature, distinctions between different types of oaths (positive, negative, declarative, promissory) become prominent, reflecting an evolving semantic precision.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine passive participle of שָׁבַע; properly, something sworn, i.e. an oath; curse, oath, [idiom] sworn.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁבע (sh-b-ʿ) — to swear, to solemnly promise, to bind oneself by oath

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7637 שְׁבִיעִי in the seventh
H7650 שָׁבַע the oath-swearing one

Word Forms

14 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7621-03 הַ/שְּׁבֻעָ֔ה hashevuah HTd/Ncfsa the oath the sworn oath 7
H7621-08 שְׁבֻעַ֣ת shevuat HNcfsc oath oath-of 5
H7621-07 שְׁבֻעָה֙ shevuah HNcfsa an oath sworn oath 3
H7621-05 מִ/שְּׁבֻעָתֵ֥/ךְ mishevuatekhe HR/Ncfsc/Sp2fs from your oath from your binding-oath 2
H7621-01 בִּ/שְׁבֻעָ֖ה bishevuah HR/Ncfsa in an oath in a sworn oath 2
H7621-11 וּ/שְׁב֖וּעָת֣/וֹ ushevuato HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his oath and his sworn-oath 2
H7621-09 שְׁבֻע֖וֹת shevuot HNcfpa oaths oaths of 2
H7621-10 וּ/שְׁבֻ֥עַת ushevuat HC/Ncfsc and-oath and oath-of 1
H7621-04 לִ/שְׁבוּעָה֙ lishevuah HR/Ncfsa for a curse for a sworn-oath 1
H7621-13 וְ/הַ/שְּׁבֻעָ֗ה vehashevuah HC/Td/Ncfsa and the oath and the binding oath 1

Occurrences in Scripture

30 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7621-06 Genesis 24:8 מִ/שְּׁבֻעָתִ֖/י mishevuati HR/Ncfsc/Sp1cs from my oath from my sworn oath
H7621-03 Genesis 26:3 הַ/שְּׁבֻעָ֔ה hashevuah HTd/Ncfsa the oath the sworn oath
H7621-08 Exodus 22:10 שְׁבֻעַ֣ת shevuat HNcfsc oath oath-of
H7621-01 Leviticus 5:4 בִּ/שְׁבֻעָ֖ה bishevuah HR/Ncfsa in an oath in a sworn oath
H7621-02 Numbers 5:21 בִּ/שְׁבֻעַ֣ת bishevuat HR/Ncfsc with an oath by oath-of
H7621-14 Numbers 5:21 וְ/לִ/שְׁבֻעָ֖ה velishevuah HC/R/Ncfsa and for an oath and for an oath
H7621-07 Numbers 30:3 שְׁבֻעָה֙ shevuah HNcfsa an oath sworn oath
H7621-01 Numbers 30:11 בִּ/שְׁבֻעָֽה bishevuah HR/Ncfsa with an oath in a sworn oath
H7621-08 Numbers 30:14 שְׁבֻעַ֥ת shevuat HNcfsc oath oath-of
H7621-03 Deuteronomy 7:8 הַ/שְּׁבֻעָה֙ hashevuah HTd/Ncfsa oath the sworn oath
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